MUSIC PREVIEW: Ruth B hits the A list
That’s quite the little song Ruth B came up with – by herself, in her bedroom in Edmonton, on her cheap Yahama electric piano. You may have heard her ode to Peter Pan on the radio: Lost Boy. Professional producers left the song mostly untouched from the her original homemade YouTube video she posted in […]
PLAYBILL: Shakespeare rocks
Some people say that maybe William Shakespeare wasn’t such a big deal after all, and therefore maybe his work shouldn’t be taught in schools at the expense of other worthy or more modern playwrights – or remounted again and again to promote 500-year-old sexual and racial morals in one Shakespeare festival after another. To those […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Blitzen Trapper keeper
While tagged with a variety of labels, from alt-country to indie folk, Blitzen Trapper has been going strong since the turn of the millennium, and seem to get stronger with every album. The Portland quintet self-released its first three albums, including their opening salvo, an eponymous release in 2003. After their most recent effort, 2015’s […]
REVIEW: Tool plays it cool
Tool is one of those shows where you feel like you saw the music and heard the lights. In other words, it was an amazing psychedelic rock concert at Rogers Place on Tuesday night, even if it took time to get there. The concert felt underwhelming at first, and not much different than Tool’s last […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Tool time!
Tool is a good example of a band that doesn’t particularly care if people like them or not, yet they stick to their guns so hard it’s impossible to turn away. Therein lies the secret of art. Do it for love. Or hate, or whatever. Just make it a STRONG emotion. Please don’t bore us. […]
Punk artist reveals deep roots
The Blueberry Bluegrass & Country Music Festival is lucky to own the latest creations from Edmonton artist Spyder Yardley-Jones: a mandolin bigger than a bull fiddle, a towering acoustic guitar and a Brobdingnagian banjo. The fiddle next time. The heavy plywood sculptures will be paraded around Parkland County in an antique truck before being put […]
Folk fest to maximize ‘patron comfort’
“We’re really going to try not to annoy people this year.” That’s the word from Terry Wickham, longtime producer of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, whose annual press conference happened Wednesday. The performers for Aug. 10-13 were announced: The Decemberists, Brandi Carlile, Ricky Skaggs, Valerie June, City and Colour (pictured), and more, 64 acts in […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Surf from turf
There’s a somewhat surprisingly good surf rock scene burgeoning across the Canadian provinces – and one of the cities leading that charge is Saskatoon. One of their notable surf acts, the Garrys, will be playing Mill Creek Café (aka Sewing Machine Factory) this Thursday. Interestingly enough, the reverb-soaked trio doesn’t have anyone named Garry in […]
Beck coming to Edmonton
We’ve been waiting for this guy for a long time – the one and only Beck is finally coming to Edmonton. The allegedly eccentric artist whose anthem Loser catapulted him to instant cult stardom in another age will play the Jubilee Auditorium on Tuesday, Aug. 22. Tickets are $59.50 to $89.50 and go on sale […]
Chili Peppers keep it fresh in Edmonton
When a band on its day off in Edmonton hangs out on Whyte Avenue, instead of, say, West Edmonton Mall, they’re more likely to get a favourable review. It’s a FACT. Because Anthony Kiedis and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers were spotted in our city’s arguably coolest district on Friday (on their way […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Chilis for the books
Books could be written about the adventures of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. And they have. The band has published at least three themselves. Adding to their legacy of 11 studio albums, 13 No. 1 hits, six Grammy awards and 80 million records sold back when people still bought lots of records. Fans still buy […]
Flailing Festivals in Flaming Flinders!
It may seem like outdoor music festivals are dropping like flies – but that’s because there are so many of them. Some are bound to die. But while public confidence has been eroded from the recent cancellations of the Pemberton Music Festival in B.C. and the Fyre Festival in the Bahamas, most of your favourite […]
